MacTech Blog

Feb 09

Apple patent reflects work on 3D interface

A patent (number 20120036433) at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office shows that Apple is looking into three-dimensional interfaces for at least some of its products. The patent is for 3D user interface effects on a display by using properties of motion.

The techniques disclosed use a compass, MEMS accelerometer, GPS module, and MEMS gyrometer to infer a frame of reference for a hand-held device. This can provide a true Frenet frame, i.e., X- and Y-vectors for the display, and also a Z-vector that points perpendicularly to the display. In fact, with various inertial clues from accelerometer, gyrometer, and other instruments that report their states in real time, it is possible to track the Frenet frame of the device in real time to provide a continuous 3D frame-of-reference.

Once this continuous frame of reference is known, the position of a user's eyes may either be inferred or calculated directly by using a device's front-facing camera. With the position of the...

An Apple patent (20120032765) for magnetic fasteners has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. The various embodiments described in the patent generally relate to magnetic fasteners.

More particularly, the various embodiments described relate to apparatus, methods and systems for utilizing programmable magnetic devices to fasten, or unfasten, two or more components or devices. The inventors are Brett Bilbrey, Aleskandar Pance, Peter Arnold, David L. Simon, Jean lee, Michael D. Hillman, Gregory L. Tice, Vijay Iyver and Bradley Spare.

Here's Apple's background and summary of the invention: "Traditionally, various mechanical types of fasteners have been utilized to facilitate a permanent, semi-permanent or temporary coupling of the two or more devices. Examples of devices utilized to accomplish such coupling include screws, rivets, nails, bolts and nuts, non-programmable magnets, tape, wire binding, soldering, and other fastening devices and techniques...

"AppAdvice" (http://macte.ch/0ghLi) and various other sites have reported that, back in 2010, Tristan Schaap -- a student who had spent a 12 week internship with Apple -- wrote a thesis that detailed his time spent with Apple’s Platform Technologies Group. They conducted experiments regarding Mac OS X and ARM processors. Could this mean an iPad running Mac OS X? I doubt it.

"The project was only made public several months ago. While iOS also uses the Darwin kernel, this project involved Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and was left for the CoreOS teams to continue," says "AppAdvice." "Since Mac OX X 10.7 Lion has since shipped, as have newer generations of iPad and MacBook Air, without any sign of Mac OS X on ARM, it’s unknown if this project is still ongoing or has since been put on the shelf. However, the author of the paper is now a full-time employee at Apple, working as a CoreOS Engineer."

Several Apple patents have appeared today at the U.S Patent & Trademark Office. Following is a summary of each.

Patent number 20120036192 and number 20120036193 are for NAT traversal for media conferencing. Methods for establishing a direct peer-to-peer ("P2P") connection between two computers are disclosed. In particular, the methods are designed to work in cases where one or both of the computers are connected to a private network, such private networks being interconnected via a public network, such as the Internet. The connections between the private network and the public network are facilitated by network address translation ("NAT"). The inventors are Joe Abuan, Joshua Graessley, Hyeonkuk Jeony and Berkat Tung.

Patent number 20120033103 involves RAW-split mode image capture and involves the camera on the iPhone 4S. Systems, methods and a computer readable mediums for reducing run-time bandwidth requirements within digital...

After meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook, Citigroup analyst Richard Gardner told clients in a note -- as reported by "V3" (http://macte.ch/zf70V) -- that Apple may be redesigning the iPad. I beg to differ. It won't happen -- at least in the way Gardner hints.

The analyst thinks Apple may redesign its tablet to meet the needs of those wanting an ARM-based hybrid device with, say, a keyboard. "We have wondered whether Apple might offer an ARM-based version of the MacBook Air at some point; we walked away from this meeting with the impression that Apple feels the iPad satisfies -- or will soon satisfy -- the needs of those who might have been interested in such a product."

There's no way Apple will introduce an iPad with a keyboard other than a virtual one. It goes against the entire "post-PC' aesthetic of the tablet. Want to use a physical keyboard with your iPad? Apple expects you to spring for one of the...

Apple has been granted a patent (number 8112032) by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for using a portable media player as a remote control. Could this be a hint of the rumored Apple HDTV (the "iTV") or merely affirmation of ways Apple has provided for using current iOS devices, such as with a Mac?

Per the patent, a portable multimedia player is used to wirelessly access and control a media server that is streaming digital media by way of a wireless interface to a media unit such as a stereo/speakers in the case of streaming digital audio. In one embodiment, the portable multimedia player is wirelessly synchronized to a selected one(s) of a number of digital media files stored on the media server in such a way that digital media file metadata (song title, author, etc.) associated with the selected digital media file(s) only is transferred from the media server to be stored in the portable media player. Steve Ko and Stephen O. Lemay are the inventors.

Apple is working on ways to control power provided to an accessory, per a patent (number 8112567) at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. A method for a portable media player to control power provided an accessory is disclosed.

The method includes requesting information about the power capabilities of the accessory by the portable media player. The method further includes providing information about the power capabilities of the accessory by the accessory to the portable media player, and utilizing the information to set the power of the accessory.

A method and system in accordance with the present invention provides a system that allows a portable media player to obtain information from an accessory concerning its power requirements. A portable media player can then utilize the power requirements information to allow for the powering of the accessory when connected to the portable media player. The inventors are Gregory T. Lydon, Scott Kureger, Donald J....

So far 3D game consoles don't seem to be faring much better than 3D TVs in the U.S..

Nintendo posted an US$626 million loss for the first nine months of the fiscal year that ended March 2012, a complete reversal of its fortunes compared to the same time last year, where the console manufacturer netted $637 million in profit. An independent survey shows that gamers are against 3D gaming, perhaps providing an explanation for Nintendo’s about-turn.

3D-enabled consoles haven't been a hit with gaming fans, according to the results of a new study which has revealed that almost three quarters of gamers are opposed to future generation consoles having 3D capability. The independent survey by coupon website http://www.CouponCodes4U.com polled 2,291 gamers and was conducted following Nintendo’s recently announced financial losses, to delve into whether or not consumers were against 3D gaming...

Apple has won several patents by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Following is a summary of each.

Patent number 8111751 is for encoding video. Some embodiments of the invention provide a method for encoding a video signal that is formed by a series of successive images. Each image includes several sections, and each section has a set of image values. To encode a particular section of a particular image, the method initially partitions the particular section into several sub-sections. For each of at least two particular sub-sections, the method then computes a statistical parameter regarding the image values of the particular sub-section.

The method compares the computed statistical parameters, and based on the comparison, selects an encoding technique from a set of encoding techniques to encode the particular section. In some embodiments, the set of encoding schemes includes a first scheme that encodes the selected section without reference to...

If Apple is indeed planning its own branded HDTV (the rumored "iTV") it needs to think big. The LCD TV market saw a rapid shift toward sizes larger than 40 inches at the end of 2011, as consumers, particularly in North America and China, took advantage of new sizes and more affordable prices.

As larger sizes such as 46 inches, 47 inches 55 inches, 60 inches and 65 inches are being adopted by consumers, panel makers are also developing other new large size TV panels, including 43 inches, 48 inches, 50 inches, 70 inches, and even 75 inches, 80 inches and larger.

In response to the strong end-market adoption, NPD DisplaySearch (http://www.displaysearch.com) has increased its forecast for LCD TV area demand. According to the "NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Worldwide FPD Shipment and Forecast Report," LCD TV panel demand will reach 85 million square meters in 2012, nearly 2% higher than the...

I always enjoy the annual article "Mac/Life" on products Apple should/could develop. In their latest feature, I was particularly intrigued by the iDesk.

The iDesk is a conceptual re-imagining of the desk. Not the Mac OS X Desktop, but an actual, physical desktop.

Here's how "Mac/Life" describes it: "Imagine an entirely adaptable workspace that doesn’t just hold your equipment, but enhances and interacts with it. As with Microsoft’s Surface technology, the entire desk would be a touch-sensitive display capable of running several simultaneous apps, some of which--such as a calendar, phone, and digital Post-It notes—would replace their physical counterparts entirely. Notifications, to-do lists, video conferencing, Adobe tool palettes, and countless widgets such as calculators and weather reports would all appear right on the surface of your desk, literally putting your entire working world at your fingertips."

Although the late Steve Jobs dismissed talk of a Mac with a touchscreen display, an Apple patent (number 20120030626) at the U..S. Patent & Trademark Office shows that the company has considered/is considering the idea. The patent is for a computer with a touchscreen.

Per the patent, a control object including a knob element is displayed in a GUI [graphical user interface]. A first user input can be detected that indicates selection of the knob element. In response to the first user input, the knob element can be visually augmented. The visual augmentation can include displaying text labels of range limit values and a slider element with the knob element.

The slider element can include a fill bar to indicate the current value of the knob element. A second input can be a linear motion on or near the slider control. In response to the second user input, both the fill bar of the slider element and a fill portion of the knob element can be visually augmented to...

A new Apple patent (number 20120028480) has appeared at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Among other things it would facilitate the assembly of Apple devices via programmable magnetic devices.

The patent involves alignment and connection for devices. relate generally to programmable magnetic devices, and more particularly to multi-part devices that may be joined or separated through programmable magnets. A plug or connector including a coded magnet and an electrical contact is disclosed.

As the plug approaches a corresponding port, the coded magnet interacts with a magnet within the port. The interaction between the plug coded magnet and the port coded magnet provides a force to connect and/or align the plug with the port. Once the plug is received within the port, if a process is completed, the coded magnets polarities are altered to eject the plug from the port.

“Correlated magnets” or “coded magnets” are magnetic structures formed of multiple...

Here's one of the reasons why so many people want Apple (or Netflix or someone) to break the stranglehold the cable and satellite companies have on us:

My DishTV account jumped US$20 in one month. I didn't order any extra channels, but evidently some appeared anyway -- and we were billed. It seems to be part of what I consider a scam. For a short period, you're have access to some channels beyond the basic package (such as HBO and Showtime) for free. But if you don't specifically tell Dish TV that you don't want them, the channels continue past the free period, and you're billed. I did battle with Dish TV over this, something I hoped wouldn't occur. I switched to Dish after Comcast raised my cable TV bill about 150% in 24 months.

Currently, I subscribe to Dish TV's "America's Top 120" package. Of those 120 channels, there's maybe 20 that my family watches. I'd love to be able to pay only for those channels, not the other 100 we never tune into.

Apple has been granted several patents by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Following is a summary of each.

Patent number 20120026403 is for facilitating audio playback during display sleep mode. The disclosed embodiments relate to a system for managing power for a display. During operation, the system receives a video-blank command, which specifies that the display is to enter a video-blank mode wherein the display outputs a blank screen. In response to the video-blank command, the system causes the display to output a blank screen, and powers down display components associated with outputting a display signal to the display.

In some embodiments, the display additionally comprises audio components including an audio-output device, and powering down the display components involves maintaining an existing power state for the audio components, so that the audio components can continue to output an audio signal while the display components are...

If we would marry Virgil's observations on its irretrievability to the unidirectional dictum of modern physics. "Time's a wasting," is an apt observation in any day and age, and for all that a week now seems a relative eternity in Internet time, we assume that the flight of time still takes place at the same speed in some external time-inertial frame of reference, call it eternity or what you will.

Certainly investors seem to have concluded that time has already flown for RIM, which benighted company resolved to solve its market share problems by appointing a company insider to be its great helmsman, only to see its shares plummet. Excuse us, but the Spy fails to see how someone who's been part of the problem these last several years can suddenly morph into the solution. It is for situations like this that the expression "changing deck chairs on the Titanic" was coined.

If you think Apple had a great year in 2011, you ain't see nothing yet. While still firing on all cylinders in the consumer market, the company is also making great gains in the enterprise arena.

Forrester Research's (http://www.forrester.com) latest "Global Tech Market Outlook" states that enterprises will spend US$19 billion on Apple hardware in 2012 -- which is 68% more iPads and 45% more Macs than purchased in 2011.

"Apple's products are much more visible in business environments than they used to be," writes analyst Frank E. Gillet. "To quantify Apple's business presence, Forrester surveyed almost 10,000 information workers -- workers that use a computer for work an hour or more per day -- across 17 countries globally and more than 3,350 IT hardware decision-makers in North America and Western Europe. We analyzed the data to profile how information workers use Apple products for work, how...

Apple has been granted several patents by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. They involve everything from iOS devices to Macs to Apple retail stores. Following is a summary of each.

Patent number 8104911 is for a display system with a distributed LED backlight. Per the patent, each tile LED light source has a tile and a plurality of similar LED light sources on each tile connected for emitting light therefrom. The inventors are Michael D. Hillman, Gregory L. Tice, William Sauway, Sean Bailey, Ann Torres, Efrain Alcorta and Perry Anderson.

Patent number 8106630 involves a method and system for operating a portable device in a power-limited manner. Per the patent, improved techniques to manage operation of a portable electronic device having a substantially depleted battery when power is available from an external, power-limited source are disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, the substantially depleted battery can be...

Last week I asked (http://macte.ch/rxr8P) if Apple should be doing more to help the U.S. economy. Some readers, including my long-time friend, J. Scott Anderson, asked the flip side of the question: should the U.S. government be doing more to help companies like Apple move jobs back to this country.

"I think it is the other way around," says Scott. "The US should do more that would attract companies to bring more manufacturing and other business functions back to the US. This is a complicated issue that has a lot of components. However, the bottom line is that Apple should do what is best for them and their customers."

President Obama touched on this subject last week in his State of the Union address. he recommended proposals for tax breaks benefiting companies that keep jobs in the United States, and eliminating tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas.

Here's another good reason to think that Apple may be planning an Apple HDTV: more and more people are watching video online.

Online video continues to increase in popularity, with 143 million Americans watching content online in 2011 according to the latest report from media analysts Nielsen (http://www.nielsen.com). The "2011 State of the Media Report" looked at how consumers in the USA watched video and found that although viewing content on a traditional TV is still the most popular method of watching programs, online video is reaching millions of consumers. An "iTV" could serve the best of both worlds.

The most popular video website is YouTube, which received 126.5 million unique visitors in 2011 but in terms of the time spend on the website the Google owned site comes second after Netflix. YouTube viewers spend an average of 2 hours and 52 minutes watching content on the site, compared to...

Apple will almost certainly never support Blu-ray on the Mac -- though I'd love to be surprised with, say, a "Super" SuperDrive with an accompanying Mac OS X update that supports playback of Blu-ray movies.

I won't be at all surprised if the next iMac and MacBook Pro upgrades lack an optical drive entirely a la the MacBook Air and Mac mini. After all, Apple is determined to encourage (force?) you into using iTunes to rent/buy movies as well as purchase music.

That's a mistake. The day may come when buying films online is feasible, but, with bandwidth considerations, that day hasn't come.

Compare the online market for music purchases with that of movie purchases. Digital sales accounted for 32%of global music revenues in 2011, compared with just 1% for films (and, just so you'll know, 5% for newspapers and 4% for books).

Clearly, there's great growth potential for movies on iTunes, books at the iBookstore and newspapers at Newsstand (the latter two...

A new patent (number 20120019371) at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office shows that Apple is working on a apparatus and method to facilitate an universal remote control. Could this hint at the much-rumored Apple HDTV (the "iTV")?

One embodiment of the present invention provides a universal remote control, which includes a display screen and a user input mechanism. The universal remote control also includes a processing unit that is configured to display information on the display screen and to accept selection data from the user input mechanism. The universal remote control additionally includes a wireless communication mechanism that is configured to provide communications between the processing unit and an appliance or computer program running on a computer system.

The appliance provides information to be displayed on the display screen, and information entered through the user input mechanism is communicated to the appliance. Since the appliance provides the...

How would you like access to certain media based on your current location? According to a new patent (number 20120021773) at the U.S. Patent & Trade Association, Apple is working on such technology.

Per the patent, media can be presented based on location associated with presentation of media (e.g., physical location of a device that is to present media). Presentation of media can be effectively controlled in order to automatically present a first media content (e.g., a list of songs, an album) in accordance with a first set of media presentation attributes or parameters (e.g., volume associated with presentation of audible media) at a first location, while a second media content is automatically presented in accordance with a second set of media presentation attributes or parameters when the current location is changed to a second location. Michael M. Lee is the inventor.

A patent (number 20121619) at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office shows that Apple is working on programmable, magnetic connectors for its iOS devices -- and perhaps OS X systems.

Connectors and methods of coupling electronic devices and cables are provided in the patent. In one embodiment, a connector has a first coded magnet on a first surface of a first device. The first coded magnet has at least two different polarity regions on the first surface. A second coded magnet on a second surface of a second device is also provided.

The second coded magnet is configured to provide identifying information regarding the device on which it is located. The inventors are Brett Bilbrey, Aleskander Pance, Peter Arnold, David I. Simon, Jean lee, Michael D. Hillman, Gregory L. Tice, Vijay Iyer and Bradley Spare.

Here's Apple's background and summary of the invention: "Electronic devices are common in both home and work environments. Indeed, it is common for multiple...

A new patent (number 20120020644) from Apple at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for playing data from an optical media drive.

The patent relates generally to optical media drives and to systems using such optical media drives; as well as to improved methods of operating such optical media drives. It's a bit surprising to see this patent, as most evidence indicates that Apple will phase out built-in optical drives on most Macs. But perhaps this involves a revamped, external SuperDrive.

In an example embodiment, the disclosure relates to playing data from an optical media drive. Example embodiments provide various techniques for playing data from an optical media drive. The optical media drive may detect certain media access information for use in accessing optical media. This media access information is stored a non-volatile memory.

The optical media drive then retrieves the media access information from the non-volatile memory once the optical media...

The late Steve Jobs' name is listed as an inventor on a new patent at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Patent number 20120023434 regards an user interface for providing consolidation and access.

Methods and systems for providing graphical user interfaces are described. To provide greater access and consolidation to frequently used items in the graphical user interface, a user bar is established which includes a plurality of item representations.

To permit a greater number of items to reside in the user bar, a magnification function can be provided which magnifies items within the user bar when they are proximate the cursor associated with the graphical user interface. The inventors are Bas Ording, Steven P. Jobs and Donald J. Lindsay.

Here's Apple's summary of the invention: "According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, these and other drawbacks and difficulties of conventional GUIs are overcome by providing a simple, consolidated and...

A new Apple patent (number 20120023597) for magnetically implemented security devices has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. It relates generally to programmable magnetic devices, and more particularly to security for computing devices and peripherals that may be provided by programmable magnets.

Security devices and methods of securely coupling electronic devices and peripherals are provided. In one embodiment, a peripheral has a first coded magnet on a first surface of a first device. The first coded magnet has at least two different polarity regions on the first surface. A second coded magnet on a second surface of a second device is also provided.

The first coded magnet is configured to securely provide data to a device associated with the second coded magnet, if the first and second coded magnets' patterns are keyed to one another. The inventors are Brett Bilbrey, Aleskandar Pance, Peter Arnold, David I. Simon, Jean Lee, Michael D. Hillman,...

A new patent (number 20120023199) at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office shows that Apple is considering a software development kit (SDK) for iAP [in-application programming] accessories. It relates generally to communication between an accessory and a mobile computing device and in particular to using accessory and/or application specific protocols for such communications.

Embodiments of the present invention provide various communication techniques for communication between a mobile computing device and an accessory. An accessory protocol that is generic to the mobile computing device can be used for some communication. An application executing at the mobile computing device can communicate with the accessory using an application communication protocol. In some embodiments, the application communication protocol can be different from the accessory communication protocol.

In other embodiments the application protocol may only be recognized by the application and...

A plethora of patents at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office show that Apple is working on several methods of improving the displays across its product lines.

Patent number 20120019152 is for ambient light calibration for energy efficiency in display systems. It involves a method, system, and apparatus that can be used to operate a display device in an energy efficient manner. The energy efficient display device can effectively and efficiently compensate for changes in ambient light incident at a display screen of the display device using an internal ambient light sensor to provide control signals to a backlight driver. David W. Lum is the inventor.

Patent number 20120019152 involves a display brightness control based on ambient light angles. Methods and devices are provided for controlling the brightness of a display for an electronic device based on ambient light conditions. In one embodiment, an electronic device may employ one...

Once upon a time Apple boasted that its products were made in America. That's changed. And the question is: should Apple do more to support the U.S.. economy?

A recent "New York Times" story (http://macte.ch/MofNt) notes that almost all of the 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads and 59 million other products Apple sold in 2011 were manufactured overseas. The company earned over US$400,000 in profit per employee -- more than Goldman Sachs, Exxon Mobil or Google. With that kind of moolah, couldn't Apple bring more jobs to our country?

Depends -- as does most things in life -- on how you look at it. As the "Times" notes, President Obama and others are "vexed" that high tech companies like Apple that are rolling in money don't help American jobs as other famous companies, such as General Motors and General Electric, did in the past.

According to the latest data from Gartner and IDC, Apple continues to gain market share in the personal computer industry. In fact, it's the fastest growing company among the top five US computer makers (see http://macte.ch/4Lanv).

I expect this to continue, thanks to the popularity of iOS devices and the apparent huge success of iCloud, Apple's cloud service. iClouds lets you sync calendars, contacts, email, bookmarks and more across multiple OS X and iOS X devices When it comes to iTunes -- one of Apple's crown jewels (though it needs an overhaul as it's become too bloated) -- iCloud´s purchase history lets you re-download purchased content from any device at any time.

That's very cool and very convenient. What's more, as more and more customers get used to using an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and storing all their data in iCloud, chances are good that they'll eye a Mac when they make their next...

Among several patent wins today, Apple has been granted a patent (number 8,100,544) by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for a LED backlight for display systems. It relates generally to device display systems, and more particularly to an LED backlight with highly uniform color for illuminating display systems.

The invention is for an LED backlight method for display systems comprising receiving a plurality of light emitting diodes categorized into a plurality of bins, wherein each bin references a separate range of white point colors, and determining an optimal order for mounting the plurality of light emitting diodes at spatially distributed positions, the plurality of light emitting diodes comprising white point colors associated with separate bins, wherein the optimal order of the plurality of light emitting diodes produces a light of a desired white point color when the light outputs of the plurality of light emitting diodes are mixed. The inventors are Wei Chen,...

I've had a few days to play around with the iBooks Author app Apple announced last week. It's pretty cool -- and only underscores my conviction that Macs are going to be around for a loooong time. They'll be creating the bulk of the content we'll be consuming on iOS devices.

iBooks Author is a tool for creating iBooks textbooks (also announced last week). It's a free download at the Mac App Store. The textbooks you create are designed to be read on iOS devices via the iBooks app and the new iTunes U.

That's all well and good, but I'd still like to see iBooks, the iBookstore and iTunes U available on Mac OS X, as well as Newsstand. I want to be able to buy books, textbooks and magazines and have them -- via iCloud -- synced across all my iOS and OS X devices so I can read them whenever and wherever I choose.

What's more, I'm a bit disappointed that Apple didn't incorporate the iBooks Author features into Pages. It would have made the word processing/document...

The GSM, WCDMA, and LTE royalties on cellular phones will continue to grow for the next few years, but are starting to flatten out. GSM handset royalties are already playing a much less significant role for royalty revenues, with GSM/WCDMA/LTE handset royalties becoming increasingly significant.

GSM/WCDMA handset royalties hold the lion’s share because of the size of the 3G handset market, according to new data from the ABI Research Group (http://www.abiresearch.com). Bilateral roaming agreements may cancel out a lot royalties paid, but what is left is still significant and can weigh heavily on handset vendors with rising market share but weak patent portfolios.

For GSM/WCDMA handsets, vendors pay anything from less than 4% if they have a very strong patent portfolio to well into the teens. The average paid, weighed by market share, will fluctuate between approximately seven and eight percent...

Recently, Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, took issue with the idea that the Android mobile operating system is fragmented, arguing that it's a differentiation between devices rather than a fragmentation. If that's indeed the case, then let's have a new naming system; more on that in a moment.

The difference, as Schmidt explains it, is that differentiation means manufacturers have a choice. They're going to compete on their view of innovation, and try to convince consumers that their innovation is better than somebody else's whereas fragmentation is quite the opposite, he says. Not surprisingly, some company analysts beg to differ, pointing out the ever-increasing incompatibilities between OS and apps across different Android devices and other problems with Android.

So if Schmidt thinks that Android is different for innovation needs, and if the developers/consumers see mounting incompatibilities, then perhaps we need to start talking about a different...

A new Apple patent (number 20120016678) at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office shows that the company has big plans for Siri, the voice-activated personal assistant that helps you get things done just by asking. Siri was introduces last October along with the iPhone 4S.

The new Apple patent is for an "intelligent automated assistant" system that engages with the user in an integrated, conversational manner using natural language dialog, and invokes external services when appropriate to obtain information or perform various actions. The system can be implemented using any of a number of different platforms, such as the web, email, smartphone, and the like, or any combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the system is based on sets of interrelated domains and tasks, and employs additional functionally powered by external services with which the system can interact. The inventors are Thomas Robert Gruber, Adam John Cheyer, Dag Kitilaus, Didier Rene Guzzoni,...

An Apple patent (number 20120013775) for enhanced image capture sharpening has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Apparently, Apple continues to investigate ways to improve the digital camera functions on its iOS devices.

Per the patent, an image capture sharpening subsystem for a digital camera includes a capture sharpening processor and a memory that stores values for a capture sharpening amount. The values for the capture sharpening amount are a function of position on an image sensor of the digital camera. The capture sharpening processor receives a first value for a pixel in an image captured by the image sensor and a position value for the pixel on the image sensor.

The capture sharpening processor determines a pixel sharpening amount from the values for the capture sharpening amount stored in the first memory according to the position value. The capture sharpening processor applies a capture sharpening process to the pixel to provide a second...

Apple has been granted two patents by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, both involving manufacturing processes.

Patent number 20120011690 is for a removable fixture for a manufacturing device. The invention relates generally to manufacturing devices and processes, and more particularly to devices and methods for accurately locating removable fixtures in a manufacturing system.

Per the patent, a CNC system can include a cylinder adapted to rotate about, travel along, and deliver a force in an axial direction, an extension coupled to a distal end of and extending outward from the elongated component in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and a removable fixture adapted to receive the axial force and to be moved and positioned thereby along a plane (i.e., two directions) substantially perpendicular to the axial direction.

The fixture has a central opening along the first direction adapted to receive the elongated component,...

Apple will hold an education event today at 10 am (Eastern) in New York City at the Guggenheim Museum. So what's on the agenda?

Of course, only Apple execs know for sure, but the betting company Paddy Power (http://www.paddypowerpic.com) has taken bets on what the subject will be. Given the theme of the event it’s unsurprising that the clear favorite is for the announcement concern electronic/digital textbooks at 1/6 odds, followed by the iPad Lite at 6/1 and the iPad 3 at 9/1. Further down the list its 14/1 odds that Apple’s CEO Tim Cook will be waxing lyrical about the return of the iMac desktop while an announcement on the iiPhone 5 and an "Apple Robot Teacher" prop up the market at 20/1 and 40/1 respectively.

Yours Truly is giving the odds of an iPad Lite, iPad 3, iPhone 5, new iMac and Apple Robot Teacher (what the heck is that?) as nil. I think Apple will beef up its iBook app...

Apple has been granted a patent (number 8099665) by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for "organizing and sorting media menu items." It hints at a) the rumored Apple HDTV (the "iTV"), b) an Apple TV (the set-top box) update, or c) both.

The patent is for a method of organizing episodic content that includes identifying a list of items associated with episodic content and sorting the list of items based on at least episode order upon a prompt. The inventors are Rainer Brodersen, Rachel Clare Goldeen, Jeffrey Ma, Mihnea Calin Pacurariu and the late Steve Jobs.

Here's Apple's background and summary of the invention: "Media devices, such as digital video and audio players, can include multiple functions and capabilities, such as playing stored content, browsing and selecting from recorded content, storing and/or receiving content selected by a user, and the like. These various functions can often be grouped according to content types, e.g., movies, music, television...

In what can only be good news for Apple's iBookstore (which will almost certainly be part of Apple's education announcement/s tomorrow) and other ebook vendors, a recent study indicates that children who read books on digital e-readers such as the iPad and Kindle comprehend what they've read as well as children who read paper books.

The report "Student Comprehension of Books in Kindle and Traditional Formats," was released by Michael Milone, Ph.D., for Renaissance Learning, a leading provider of technology-based school improvement and student assessment programs for K12 schools. Results of the study indicate that parents and educators can rest easy knowing that students comprehend books they read digitally as well as they comprehend books read in a print format.

In this study, fourth-grade students were asked to read books selected from a list of popular fiction titles. Students then alternated between options, reading approximately 50 percent of the books on the...

We’re just back from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the consumer electronics extravaganza in Las Vegas where we saw some amazing new gadgets and gear including new TVs, tablets, smartphones and new high tech automobiles. Much of the technology we saw may not be available for some time (if at all) but we did see some trends that will sooner or later make many of your high tech possessions obsolete.

Future TVs will be sharper

A year ago at CES 2011 we saw just a few 4K resolution HDTVs but at this year’s show we saw lots more. Full HD is defined as 1920 x 1080 but he next generation standard will double that to 3840 x 2160 which they are calling 4K (4K x 2K). Just as everyone who saw HD when it first came out could see a big difference between its higher resolution and older standard definition TVs, once you see 4K TVs you’ll want one. Yes, it will take new production equipment, new distribution methods and...

A new patent (number 8099258) at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office shows that Apple is working on a "smart garment" for exercises and athletes. It builds upon the idea behind the Nike iPod Sport Kit.

The invention relates generally to performance monitoring. More particularly, methods and apparatus electronically pairing an authorized garment and a sensor that receives data from the garment are disclosed.

Per the patent, a sensor authenticated to a garment transfers information, either wirelessly or wired, to an external data processing device. Such information includes location information, physiometric data of the individual wearing the garment, garment performance and wear data (when the garment is an athletic shoe, for example). The external data processing device can be portable digital media players that are, in turn, in wireless communication with a server computer or other wireless devices. The inventors are Brett G. Alten and Robert Edward Borchers....

U.S. smartphone adoption is expected to surge to 175 million devices by 2015, but even in a booming market, many mobile OS vendors have an uphill battle ahead, according to new data from the Yankee Group finds (http://www.yankeegroup.com). Apple, however, isn't one of them.

In its new report, "The Runaway Smartphone Landscape," Yankee Group cautions that while Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android are sitting pretty with two-thirds of the market, HP’s webOS, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile and Nokia’s Symbian are being left behind. As expected, iOS and Android dominate. Over 80%of consumers intend to buy an iPhone or Android-powered device over the next six months. iOS is the only contender set to win share over that time frame.

RIM and Microsoft are struggling to sell new smartphones -- even to their current base. Twenty percent of U.S. consumers own a RIM BlackBerry, but only 12% intending to buy a...

An Apple patent (number 8099332) for an user interface for application management for a mobile device has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

This specification describes technologies relating to user interfaces for mobile devices. In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods that include the actions of receiving a touch input to access an application management interface on a mobile device; presenting an application management interface; receiving one or more inputs within the application management interface including an input to install a particular application; installing the selected application; and presenting the installed application. The inventors are Steve Lemay and Sean Kelly.

Here's Apple's background and summary of the invention: "Conventional mobile devices are often dedicated to performing specific functions. For example, a mobile phone provides telephony services, a personal...

Mobile devices, especially the iPad, are having a major impact on email viewship. No surprise there, as the Apple table is disrupting lots of areas.

Return Path (http://www.returnpath.com), an email certification and reputation monitoring company, has announced the findings from its second global report on the impact mobile is having on email viewership. The study looks at data from April 2011 to September 2011 and examines rapidly shifting trends.

In this latest report, Return Path data shows a pattern of increasing usage that’s hard to ignore as email opens on mobile devices grew by 34% compared with the previous six month period. While webmail maintains its status as the most popular platform for reading email, mobile is showing huge growth rates whereas the relative number of opens on webmail and desktop decreased by 11% and nearly 9.5%, respectively.

How is it possible to take a compact digital camera that for most people is already perfect and improve upon its stellar features? It seemed as if this line had reached its pinnacle with the CX4 (http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc), but in true Ricoh style, they weren’t about to let "good enough" suffice.

The new CX5 (US$329) is quite remarkable and there really are some new features, but it all comes down to one word: speed. The CX5 is, by far, their fastest and most impressive incarnation of this body type to date. The new hybrid autofocus is impressive in nearly any situation.

From macro to magnified, the mechanism is smooth and extremely quick, allowing the capture of your subject as your eye sees it -- when it sees it -- and it’s rated at just over 0.2 seconds for either wide-angle or telephoto shooting. Ricoh’s new Super-resolution technology subtly enhances...

Perhaps Apple should offer its iDevices in pink, as well as other colors. According to new data from the 2012 Cozi Family Outlook survey (http://www.cozi.com), Moms are more likely than dads to have a tablet (35% vs. 20%) or a smartphone (72% vs. 68%).

Kids aren’t far behind, with 62% reporting at least one of their children has a mobile phone, smartphone or tablet, according to Cozi, a free web and mobile service designed to "simplify family life."

The fast growth of technology among the younger set becomes especially clear when compared against historical figures. In the 2011 Cozi Family Outlook survey, only 9% of children had smartphones. This year’s results show the total has more than doubled to 19%.

The 2012 Cozi Family Outlook also showed that today’s families have an average of three desktop or laptop computers in their homes. They don't say how many of those are Macs. But I'd bet the...

A new patent (number ) for a "Sensor Based Display Environment" at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office shows that Apple is working on a motion-based 3D interface for its iOS devices. Although, from reading the patent, there seems to be no reason why the technology couldn't also be implemented on the Mac.

According to the patent, a three-dimensional display environment for mobile device is disclosed that uses orientation data from one or more onboard sensors to automatically determine and display a perspective projection of the 3D display environment based on the orientation data without the user physically interacting with (e.g., touching) the display. Patrick Piedmonte is the inventor.

Here's Apple's background and summary of the invention: "Modern computer operating systems often provide a desktop graphical user interface ('GUI') for displaying various graphical objects. Some examples of graphical objects include windows, taskbars, docks, menus and various icons...

A new Apple patent (number 20120011227) for techniques and systems for supporting podcasting has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Improved podcasts and techniques that facilitate their use are disclosed. The improved techniques can pertain to creating, publishing, hosting, accessing, subscribing, managing, transferring, and/or playing podcasts. According to one aspect, a client application can subscribe to podcasts and then automatically monitor the podcasts for updates to be downloaded. In the event that user interest in a podcast becomes inadequate, downloading of further updates can be restricted.

According to another aspect, a podcast can be subscribed to through use of a portable subscription file. According to still another aspect, podcast feeds can be enhanced to include segment elements and other metadata. The inventors are Anne Jones, Thomas Dowdy, Jeffrey Robbin, Mike Wiese and Stephen Davis.

Software Updates via MacUpdate

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Microsoft Office 2016 - Unmistakably Office, designed for Mac.
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Adobe Dreamweaver CC 2018 18.1.0.10155 -...

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Adobe Flash Player 29.0.0.113 - Plug-in...

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MegaSeg 6.0.6 - Professional DJ and radi...

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Death Coming 1.1.1.536
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